Review: 'Between These Bones: a collection of poetry' by Freya Sharp

I sometimes cover poetry with my students and they always tell me that they find it difficult to work with, to read, even. Medieval poetry was quite complex, at times, with kennings and alliterative rhyme schemes, but the themes it dealt with were as personal and emotive as those we find in modern poetry collections, like Between These Bones. It turns out, however, that I may not be the intended reader for modern poetry. Thanks to Harbor Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub. Date: 9/6/2024
Publisher: Harbor Lane Books

between these bones
i have many stories
still waiting to be told
and one day
i'll set them free from the cage in my chest
and they'll fly like birds over the sea
they'll blossom like flowers in spring
and maybe
just maybe
i'll no longer feel so heavy
and maybe
just maybe
you'll read them
and you won't feel so alone

Between These Bones is a relatable and intimate collection of bite-sized poems that take the reader on a journey with Freya through trauma, the struggles that come with surviving abusive relationships, heartbreak, mental illness, finding oneself, healing, and opening up to new love.

Recently, while reading up on narrativity, I was struck by the importance of consciousness when it comes to narrativity. One of the biggest tragedies of humanity, I think, is that we are incapable of truly sharing our perception of the world with others. We cannot, truly, show others how we feel, how we see, what we think. The closest we come is art and literature, which allow us to try and find ways of expressing ourselves through colour, words, movement, ideas. As such, poetry is not only highly subjective, it is also highly personal. Everyone eventually finds their form of poetry but equally they also need to find their poets, into whose minds they want an insight, from whose view they want to observe the world. Between These Bones gives insight into an abusive relationship, into violence, into self-destruction, things that are jagged and hurt. Sharp begins her collection with a refusal to give trigger warnings, as she wasn't warned before these things happened to her. While I appreciate where Sharp comes from there, it strikes a bit of an odd tone for the following poems. Therefore I do give you these warnings, also because it gives an insight into a situation in a way you may not enjoy. 

The blurb describes Between These Bones as bite-sized poetry, which is largely accurate, but it is also a part of the Insta-poetry tradition which rose in prominence after Rupi Kaur found an audience. This poetry is (usually) marked by an absence of rhyme scheme, meter, or punctuation, made up of short, often to-the-point but descriptive lines that rely heavily on first person and imagery. Maria Manning has described this kind of poetry in a paper, 'Crafting Authenticity: Reality, Storytelling, and Female Self-Representation through Insta-Poetry', as one which allows for a certain kind of female self-expression while perhaps neglecting poetic craft. Between These Bones is an excellent example of how this style of poetry can allow for the processing of traumatic experiences, for finding imagery to express it, and creating a sense of self. I do think, however, that it is time for me to throw in the towel with Insta-poetry and similar poetry. I think it is an excellent form of poetry for people to express themselves in, but I find that it does not hold my attention for long. This may be different for others, but the form of it makes me glide over much of it. However, for those who enjoy this type of poetry, and who are willing to dive into the dark with Sharp, Between These Bones should absolutely work.

I give this collection...

3 Universes!

Between These Bones is a raw collection of Insta-poetry which focuses on surviving abuse, without denying the darker, self-destructive edges which can exist alongside victimisation.